AUCHTERARDER and district residents have been urged to take advantage of a pot of money set aside for good causes.

The Auchterarder and District Community Trust was set up in 2008 to award money from local developments - including the Green Knowes and Burnfoot Hill windfarms and the GWest luxury resort - to local groups.

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And the registered charity is looking for organisations to apply for funding.

Applicants don’t need to be registered charities, but the project they want help to fund must be charitable in its nature.

Over the past three years the trust has made awards totalling £47,658 to 16 different organisation and 18 different projects. The largest award was £15,000 to ALRA towards the refurbishment of the Aytoun Hall. The smallest award was £200 to the Merry-go-round Playgroup to replace carpets and soft-play mats.

The trust currently meets to consider grants three times a year – late January, May and September - and at the moment the aim is to disburse around £15,000 per year, although the substantial funds held in trust mean there is no maximum or minimum donation.

Spokesperson Julia Anderson said: “It is advisable to make your application as soon as you can. As a rough guide, any application received by the 15th of the month in which a meeting is being held is likely to be considered.

“Every attempt will be made to push late applications through the procedures, but inevitably they may have to wait until the following meeting.

“The administrators will be trying to process applications as quickly as possible – in as little as four months – and, if at first you don’t succeed, your organisation can try again, but it’ll have to wait 12 months before submitting a further application.”

To get in touch with the trust, write to Auchterarder and District Community Trust, c/o Mrs J. Anderson, 92 Rae Street, Stenhousemuir, FK5 4QP, phone 01324 554987 or email mail@auchterardertrust.org.

Full details of the trust’s guidelines and a copy of the application form can be found at www.auchterardertrust.org.